Automated Eye Drop Instillation

Abstract

A device for the delivery of eye drops to one or both eyes of a patient includes a frame for placement over the patient's eyes, a holder for a commercially available eye drop bottle and a fluid delivery means. The eye drop delivery device can include a video camera to monitor the opening and closing of the eyes and a processor or a connector to a remote processor with software to receive input from the camera and deliver output to the delivery means to start and stop delivery of eye drops to the patient's eye.

We claim: 
     
         1 . An eye drop delivery device, comprising:
 a frame, wherein said frame is configured for placement over a patient's eyes and at least one port to receive at least one eye drop bottle;   a means of detecting orientation and/or a means of forcing an orientation to permit release of at least one eye drop only when the means assures a vertical path to the patient's eye;   a means of delivering the eye drop to the patient's eye, wherein the means of delivering the eye drop squeezes the eye drop bottle with a reduction of the volume of the eye drop bottle within a period of two seconds or less;   optionally, a processor within or attached to the frame or is remote to the frame;   optionally, a means for observing at least one of the patient's eyes to determine a state of being open and a state of being closed, wherein the means for observing comprises at least one video camera, lens, or lens and image sensor electronically or electromagnetically connected to provide input signals to the processor;   optionally, a means of displaying a series of audio cues and/or a series of visual cues, wherein a rhythm is provided for synchronization of blinking, and wherein the processor has software for providing output signals to actuate the means of delivering the eye drops when the processor has received the input signals from the video camera and has computed that the patient's eye is in the state of being open or at a time predetermined to coincide with a specific number of the audio cues and/or visual cues; and/or   optionally, a user interface including a means to trigger, wherein the patient initiates a triggered input signal to the processor to provide the output signal to the means of delivering to release the at least one eye drop.   
     
     
         2 . The eye drop delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the frame comprises a pair of temples, a bridge, nose pads and a holder for positioning the eye drop bottle. 
     
     
         3 . The eye drop delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the means of detecting orientation comprises at least one accelerometer. 
     
     
         4 . The eye drop delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the means of forcing an orientation comprises a bed mount wherein the patient is positioned in a bed under the eye drop delivery device wherein the patient's eye is at the base of a vertical path from the means of delivering. 
     
     
         5 . The eye drop delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the video camera is mounted on the frame. 
     
     
         6 . The eye drop delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the lens or lens and video image sensor is mounted on the frame and connected to the processor. 
     
     
         7 . The eye drop delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the means of delivering the eye drops comprises a plunger, a clamp, or a coil connected to a linear actuator. 
     
     
         8 . The eye drop delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the means of delivering delivers the eye drops of about 30 microliter in volume. 
     
     
         9 . The eye drop delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein said means of delivering provides two of the eye drops sequentially in a preselected interval of time. 
     
     
         10 . The eye drop delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the user interfaced means to trigger is a hand actuator or a voice actuator. 
     
     
         11 . The eye drop delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor or the user interface comprises a Wi-Fi enabled cell phone or computer. 
     
     
         12 . The eye drop delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the processor or the user interface includes software and output signals for at least one dosage alarming device and/or to a informing and recording device situated by a practitioner and/or eye drop bottle provider. 
     
     
         13 . A method of delivering an eye drop to an eye, comprising
 providing an eye drop delivery device according to  claim 1 ;   attaching an eye drop bottle to the eye drop delivery device;   inputting dosage information to a processor of the device;   positioning a frame of the eye drop delivery device on a patient in need of the eye drops;   placing the patient in a desired orientation;   monitoring one or both eyes of said patient with at least one video camera of the eye drop delivery device;   optionally, observing the onset and end of a plurality of blinks and calculating the average period of the open eye between consecutive blinks with the processor and/or synchronizing a plurality of blinks with a plurality of audio cues and/or visual cues and detecting a state of being open of the patient's eye after a blink or establishing a blinking rhythm and providing a signal to a means of delivering to initiate delivery of the eye drops to the patient's eye;   delivering the eye drops for a period less than the average period between blinks; and   repeating the steps of observing and calculating and/or synchronizing, and delivering until a prescribed volume of the eye drops to the patient's eye.   
     
     
         14 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the eye drops comprise a drug, vitamin, or lubricant.